J.P. Arencibia spent the offseason learning to catch R.A. Dickey—without a cup

“We’re both believers,” Arencibia says. Dickey brought the oversize mitt that he carries around like a traveling salesman and his suitcase of samples; Arencibia brought only his mask. He decided that he wouldn’t wear his shin guards or chest protector. He had also chosen, very purposefully, not to wear his cup.

To understand why Arencibia went jockless—well, there’s really no understanding it.

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So Arencibia, in his unprotected undercarriage, was sending a message right back. “I don’t want to miss every fifth game,” he says. “It also makes you really, really concentrate.” After a few warmup tosses with Dickey at their first high-stakes meeting, Arencibia assumed the position. It wasn’t long before he took a pitch flush to his chest. But the two men played catch again, and again, and session by session Arencibia has learned more about Dickey, and about himself, and about the pitch.

Hopefully it works out better for him than it did for Yannick Bertrand in this video.